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Contingency theory of group communication effectiveness in Korean organizations: influence of fit between organizational structural variables and group relational climate on communication effectiveness

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Abstract

This study developed and tested a contingency model of group
communication in Korean workgroups that posited that the communication
effectiveness and group performance of workgroups is determined by the Ã¢ÂÂfitÃ¢ÂÂ of
communication practices with organization structure and group relational
climate.
A contingency model incorporates three variables: contingency variables,
response variables, and performance variables. Based on a review of the
literature on Korean organizations and groups, the model incorporated two
contingency variables: organizational structure and group relational climate.
Organizational structure was indexed by the level of centralization and
formalizations in the organization. Group relational climate was indexed by the
level of closeness and group conformity among members. The response variables, communication practices of Korean workgroups, was measured in
terms of the frequency of formal and informal meetings held by the workgroups.
Two types of performance were measured: communication effectiveness and
performance level. The contingency model hypothesized that the level of
communication effectiveness and group performance of a workgroup that
engages in communication practices which fit the requirements of organizational
structure and group relational climate will be higher than that of a group whose
communication practices do not fit the requirements of organizational structure
and group relational climate. It also hypothesized the communication
effectiveness group performance would be lower in groups which faced
conflicting contingencies than in groups that faced consistent contingencies.
A survey of 409 members of 84 workgroups in 37 Korean organizations
was conducted. Results of this study supported the predictions of the
contingency model. In particular, centralization, formalization, and closeness
were significant contingency variables. The hypothesis regarding conflicting
contingency was not supported. Implications of the study regarding the
contingency theory, group communication and group effectiveness, and the
nature of Korean groups and organizations are discussed.